Man Pleads Guilty To DUI Manslaughter In Pedestrian's Death

CHULA VISTA, CA — A drugged driver who caused a chain-reaction crash in Chula Vista that killed an 81-year-old pedestrian pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that include gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Enrique Briseno, 51, pleaded guilty to causing the Sept. 30, 2019, death of Rene Argoud, as well as a separate misdemeanor DUI for driving drunk one day after the fatality, in which he was found to have a 0.27% blood alcohol content, according to prosecutors. He's slated to be sentenced Aug. 9.
Briseno was charged for crashing a work truck into a parked car just after 1 p.m. Sept. 30 on Fourth Avenue, near H Street.

The impact pushed the parked car into another parked vehicle, which was pushed into the street and struck Argoud. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Briseno's truck overturned in a nearby driveway, but he was uninjured. He was evaluated after the crash but ultimately released, then arrested one day later on suspicion of DUI, leading to charges in his misdemeanor case.

Deputy District Attorney Laura Evans alleged Briseno ran a red light and was seen speeding and driving erratically prior to the fatal crash.

A blood draw revealed he was under the influence of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, at the time of the crash, the prosecutor alleged.

— City News Service